UN Security Council slams deadly terrorist attack on Somali hotel

UNITED NATIONS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday "condemned in the strongest terms" a deadly terrorist attack on a hotel in central Somalia, saying that "any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation."

"The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms yesterday's attack on a hotel in Bula Burde, Somalia, for which Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility," said a statement issued by the 15-nation council Wednesday night.

A suicide bomber in Somalia on Tuesday rammed a car packed full of explosives into a hotel in the southern town, killing several people, days after it was recaptured from Al-Shabab fighters, in an attacked claimed by the armed group.

The blast in Bula Burde is the latest in a string of attacks launched in apparent retaliation to a new offensive by African Union (AU) troops seeking to capture bases from Al-Shabab.